The Ventura College baseball team twice had three-run leads Tuesday, but was unable to hold them , falling 6-5 in extra innings Tuesday night under the lights at Mt. San Antonio College. Steele Ledford had two hits, including a triple, and scored twice while JT Heade recorded a pair of hits, including a double, to lead the Pirates (6-6) at the plate.
The Pirates took on early advantage with three runs in the top of the first. The Pirates strung together four straight singles to open the game, by Ledford, TJ Foreman, and RBI hit by Rudy Aguilar, and an RBI base knock by Eric Thrower. One out later, Aguilar scored on an error by the first baseman for the 3-0 advantage.
The Mounties came back wit ha pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning to make it 3-2 for VC.
In the fifth with one out, Tommy Gibbons-Matsuyama reached base on a error before Ledford tripled him home. Foreman then hit a sacrifice fly and the Ventura lead was restored to three runs, 5-2.
Mt. SAC scored once in the sixth inning, and two more times in the seventh to knot the score at 5-5, sending the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th they put together two singles with a VC error to walk off with the 6-5 win.
Noah Proffitt made the start on the mound for VC, pitching three innings and yielding two runs. Jeff Thoben threw four complete innings giving up two runs and Joseph Cormier had two scoreless inning of work.
VC next takes the field on Thursday Feb. 22 at College of the Canyons.